Post by Young Grimwold on Nov 27, 2005 16:03:06 GMT
*Several months have passed. The Crazed Heifer has been without incident, but certainly not without business. Custom has been quiet but steady, staff have been fussy but loyal. Owen Vartern the tavern owner is pleased, and the subdued atmosphere of the place has made him less surly in turn.
Then he hears two remarkable tales.
The first is shared with him by Callimpsest, a former librarian [OOC: from the Knightmare Boarding School] who has been helping local monks with a project to archive clue scrolls and various other documents. Callimpsest has never struck Owen as a social type, but Brother Mace - a colleague of Callimpsest's and one of the Crazed Heifer's most welcome customers - has frequently made a drinking partner of him. One afternoon, Mace introduced Callimpsest to Owen, who promptly told him of an incredible discovery he'd made: a dragon who used to live deep in the Dungeon was linked to the Owen's parents, and shared his name. The dragon has long since returned to its native Wales, but Owen is intrigued enough to seriously consider taking a holiday and journeying across the border to learn more. Callimpsest got an evening of free drinks for that, and in a reversal of roles, Mace had to help him home.
The second tale was one that Owen sought to investigate straight away. It was a piece of gossip, shared with him by the barmaid Lanesra, about a new-looking drinking establishment which locals were chattering about as if it had always been there. Not knowing quite what to think, Owen decides he must see it from himself, and gets directions from Lanesra.
Creeping out of the Crazed Heifer, Owen makes his way across Wolfenden. Through the marketplace, past the church, along some streets he isn't familiar with. Just when he thinks he might be lost and should retrace his steps, he sees before him the pub he was looking for. And his chin drops as he learns its name: The Heifer Inn.
Thoughts and emotions, all flavoured with confusion, jostle in Owen's mind. Are the owners trying to upstage the Crazed Heifer? Don't they know it's still in business, ever under his vigilant watch? Might they not have spoken to him about it, to ask for his support or guidance, or even just out of courtesy? Owen, milder of manner than he used to be, feels more upset than angry. His head paints paranoid pictures of the owners of the Heifer Inn, giving him the suspicion that they are former customers of the Crazed Heifer who took issue with his management for some reason. They must have considerable power, and this makes Owen nervous.
Too apprehensive to enter the Heifer Inn, Owen watches the entrance from a distance. Business seems to be slow - maybe it will stay that way, maybe not. He fears to theorise, knowing only that this unfamiliar area is making him uncomfortable, and that he is yearning to return to his own pub. Glancing once more at the Heifer Inn, Owen heads off with quiet but determined footsteps, and is back behind the bar of the Crazed Heifer before nightfall.
Owen Vartern tries not to think about the future, as it tends to make him nervous. But he knows that only the future will reveal the true significance of the Heifer Inn, and that to find out definite information about its fortunes, its effects and his necessary reactions, he and the Crazed Heifer must wait.*
Then he hears two remarkable tales.
The first is shared with him by Callimpsest, a former librarian [OOC: from the Knightmare Boarding School] who has been helping local monks with a project to archive clue scrolls and various other documents. Callimpsest has never struck Owen as a social type, but Brother Mace - a colleague of Callimpsest's and one of the Crazed Heifer's most welcome customers - has frequently made a drinking partner of him. One afternoon, Mace introduced Callimpsest to Owen, who promptly told him of an incredible discovery he'd made: a dragon who used to live deep in the Dungeon was linked to the Owen's parents, and shared his name. The dragon has long since returned to its native Wales, but Owen is intrigued enough to seriously consider taking a holiday and journeying across the border to learn more. Callimpsest got an evening of free drinks for that, and in a reversal of roles, Mace had to help him home.
The second tale was one that Owen sought to investigate straight away. It was a piece of gossip, shared with him by the barmaid Lanesra, about a new-looking drinking establishment which locals were chattering about as if it had always been there. Not knowing quite what to think, Owen decides he must see it from himself, and gets directions from Lanesra.
Creeping out of the Crazed Heifer, Owen makes his way across Wolfenden. Through the marketplace, past the church, along some streets he isn't familiar with. Just when he thinks he might be lost and should retrace his steps, he sees before him the pub he was looking for. And his chin drops as he learns its name: The Heifer Inn.
Thoughts and emotions, all flavoured with confusion, jostle in Owen's mind. Are the owners trying to upstage the Crazed Heifer? Don't they know it's still in business, ever under his vigilant watch? Might they not have spoken to him about it, to ask for his support or guidance, or even just out of courtesy? Owen, milder of manner than he used to be, feels more upset than angry. His head paints paranoid pictures of the owners of the Heifer Inn, giving him the suspicion that they are former customers of the Crazed Heifer who took issue with his management for some reason. They must have considerable power, and this makes Owen nervous.
Too apprehensive to enter the Heifer Inn, Owen watches the entrance from a distance. Business seems to be slow - maybe it will stay that way, maybe not. He fears to theorise, knowing only that this unfamiliar area is making him uncomfortable, and that he is yearning to return to his own pub. Glancing once more at the Heifer Inn, Owen heads off with quiet but determined footsteps, and is back behind the bar of the Crazed Heifer before nightfall.
Owen Vartern tries not to think about the future, as it tends to make him nervous. But he knows that only the future will reveal the true significance of the Heifer Inn, and that to find out definite information about its fortunes, its effects and his necessary reactions, he and the Crazed Heifer must wait.*